Hope man drowns while rescuing daughters in Union

Jul. 9—According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, a Hope man drowned Saturday while rescuing his daughters from drowning.

The Maine Warden Dive team recovered the body of Henry Brooks, 46, in Seven Tree Pond in Union.

Brooks was with his family at Ayer Park watching his daughters, who are 12 and 13 years old, swim in the water when around 4:30 p.m. one of the girls fell into deeper water where the river enters the pond. The other daughter tried to rescue her sister, but she also fell into deeper water.

Both were swept out by the currents to an even deeper portion of the pond, according to a statement released Sunday from Mark Latti of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Brooks was sitting at a picnic table when he saw his daughters in trouble in the water and heard their cries for help. Brooks jumped into the water to save them. His 27-year-old son grabbed a life jacket and followed Brooks into the water to help.

The son was able to swim to his sisters and brought them back to safety at a nearby dock, but when he looked back for their father, he couldn't find him, Latti said.

Game wardens, Union Fire and Rescue, and Knox County Sheriff's Office were called to the scene and searched the area by boat and foot, but were unable to locate Brooks.

Three Maine Warden Service divers were then called and at approximately 7:30 p.m., they found and recovered Brooks 50 feet from the shore not far from the dock where his son brought the girls to safety, according to Latti.

Brooks was brought to Halls Funeral Home in Waldoboro.

His daughters and son were brought to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport where they remained for observation Saturday night.